Closing Pettibone, as the facilities committee recommended in 2013, would leave Hill & Plain School in the southern end of the town and Northville School in the northeastern area as the town's only elementaries.

The closing would require reconfiguring populations at several schools: The two elementary schools would take pre-K through second grade; third-, fourth- and fifth-graders would attend Sarah Noble Intermediate School; and sixth-graders would join the seventh and eight grades at Schaghticoke Middle School.

Not everyone likes the plan.

"I'm not ready to close a school," said school board member Bob Coppola. "I would much rather see schools with smaller populations of students.

"I don't see in the future of New Milford that we won't need all three of the elementary schools."

Cost savings have been the main impetus in board discussions toward closing a school. An estimated $679,000 could be saved in the first year, according to administration figures.

The one-time cost of closing an elementary school would be $211,000, which could be taken from the capital reserve fund, said business manager Greg Miller and Superintendent of Schools JeanAnn Paddyfote.

Board member Wendy Faulenbach, who sat on the facilities committee, said there might be no real alternative.

"We considered how we could utilize our buildings and make them work efficiently and economically," Faulenbach said in a previous discussion on the topic. "Should we allow our schools to remain open with such a large percentage of classrooms that will be empty in multiple schools?"

School enrollment this year is 4,346 students, down from 4,591 students in 2012-13. Projections show a decline of 11 percent by 2017-18, with the pre-K to third-grade classes affected most. A total enrollment of 617 students in pre-K through third grade is projected for 2020-21.